The invention relates to a light box enabling a reflective-type image scanner to digitize an X-ray transparency.
Scanners are used more and more to communicate information in a paper-free format. These devices are especially useful when the original copy must be kept safely but duplicable copies must be readily available. Photocopiers are often used to duplicate information with an obvious degradation of the quality of the image at each copy. Scanners solve this problem by creating an electronic copy which can be stored, duplicated and printed as often as wished without degradation of the image.
Medical offices such as dentist offices, external clinics and private physician""s offices are often required to exchange information on patients. This information often consists in X-rays of the patients. Since no good tool for copying and scanning such transparent media is available, doctors usually lend their copies to other physicians and hope for their safe return.
Scanners for transparencies are known and described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,081 to Chen et al. However, these scanners do not have the light intensity necessary to scan X-ray transparencies. When one tries to use such devices to scan X-ray transparencies, the resulting image is too dark to be used by a physician.
Photocopiers for X-ray transparencies are also known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,593 to Detsch discloses a photocopier adapted to copy transparent materials by mounting a floodlight on an arm on top of the copying surface. The height of this floodlight is adjusted for best copy quality. However, the quality of the photocopies is too poor to permit the physicians to do an X-ray diagnosis. In order for a physician to have enough confidence in making a diagnosis, the quality of the image must be similar to that of the X-ray transparency. When a portion of the scanned image is zoomed, the physician must still be able to have a clear image of the patient.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to transform the conventional scanner already used in Doctors"" offices into a scanner which can produce good digital images of X-rays transparencies.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a high power illumination source inside a housing which dissipates heat safely.
Another object is to provide an easy to use X-ray transparency scanner.
According to one aspect of the invention, an X-ray transparency scanner comprises: a light box housing; at least two incandescent lamps with reflectors mounted on a bottom wall of the housing; a scanning window provided on an exterior top wall of the housing and opposite the lamps, wherein the lamps are arranged to provide substantially even illumination of the scanning window; a rectifier for transforming AC current into DC current to supply to the lamps; a fan for cooling the lamps by exchanging air in the housing; an intensity selector for adjusting an intensity of the lamps; and a flatbed scanner hinged to the housing for scanning an X-ray transparency placed on the scanning window.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided an X-ray transparency scanner comprising: a light box housing; at least two flood lamps mounted on a bottom wall of the housing; a scanning window provided on an exterior top wall of the housing and opposite the lamps, wherein the lamps are arranged to provide substantially even illumination of the scanning window; a fan for cooling the lamps by exchanging air in the housing; an intensity selector for adjusting an intensity of the lamps; and a scanning device having a downward facing window for placing on the scanning window and scanning an X-ray transparency placed on the scanning window.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an X-ray transparency scanner comprising: a light box housing; at least two incandescent lamps with reflectors mounted on a bottom wall of the housing; a scanning window provided on an exterior top wall of the housing and opposite the lamps, wherein the lamps are arranged to provide substantially even illumination of the scanning window; a rectifier for transforming AC current into DC current to supply to the lamps; a convection cooling apertures for letting warm air out of the housing; an intensity selector for adjusting an intensity of the lamps; a flatbed scanner hinged to the housing for scanning an X-ray transparency placed on the scanning window; a computer for managing the flatbed scanner; an on/off lamp switch controlled by the computer for turn on and off the lamps; and an over-temperature switch for turning off the lamps when a temperature inside the housing reaches a dangerous level.
For the purpose of the present application, the following terms are defined below.
The term xe2x80x9cX-ray transparencyxe2x80x9d is intended to mean the recording on a transparent film of an image made by the effect of X-rays on a photographic plate, especially showing the position of bones etc. by their greater absorption of the rays.
The term xe2x80x9cscannerxe2x80x9d is intended to mean a device that reads a printed media and converts it into a graphics image for a computer.